NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A New York City correction officer was indicted on murder and manslaughter charges Monday in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man in the Bronx last month, the state attorney general's office announced.
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Prosecutors said that Dion Middleton, 45, is alleged to have shot at a car near the Cross Bronx Expressway and Morris Avenue just after 1 a.m. on July 21, in which Raymond Chaluisant was a passenger, killing him.
Middleton, who was off-duty at the time, then left the scene and reported to work later that morning, where he was arrested by the NYPD.
The office, which investigates any incident in which law enforcement, including corrections officers, may have killed someone, charged Middleton with second-degree murder and first- and second-degree manslaughter. The maximum sentence for second-degree murder is 25 years to life.
The teen was shooting an "Orbeez" water-pellet gun out of a car window when he allegedly hit Middleton, who then shot and killed him, police have said.
The toys, which have gone viral on TikTok, resemble military-style weapons but shoot gel pellets instead of bullets and are often brightly colored, the Gothamist reported.
The correction officer "thought he was hit by a real gun, then returned fire at the car with his gun," an NYPD department spokesperson told NY1 on July 22. Since the shooting, the department has tweeted to remind the public that "bead blasters" are illegal in the city.
Benny Boscio, president of the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, the union that represents Middleton, said in a statement on July 22 that Middleton fired a single shot after feeling something hit him in the back. He said the officer "felt his life was in immediate danger."
Boscio said toy guns that don’t look like toys "remain an ongoing threat to public safety." He added, "We will provide Officer Middleton with the best possible representation to ensure that his legal rights are protected."
Bronx Supreme Court Judge Jeffrey Zimmerman set bail at $1 million bond or $500,000 cash, the office said. The 45-year-old will also have to wear an ankle monitor if he makes bail.
Middleton is due back in court on Nov. 16.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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